“VR” photos with Google Cardboard Camera

I was really excited when Google offered a Daydream VR headset with my new Google Pixel back in October, but I wasn’t really familiar with why I should be excited. I figured I’d play a couple games, but that it would mostly be just another stepping stone toward a real VR system in a few years.

When I got the Daydream, it took me a couple uses before I discovered the Google Cardboard Camera app, which is freaking amazing. I was surprised how well the panorama shots I had taken with my iPhone translated into the VR format. Even cooler (!) is that the app itself lets you capture 360° shots with audio. When you share them with others later, they can experience the surroundings along with the ambient noise you recorded.

It’s still a bit gimmicky, but I’m a pretty big fan of the concept. If you have the Google Cardboard Camera app, here’s the view I enjoyed earlier today when snowshoeing in the Saint Joe National Forest: